FIVE WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY SUPPORT YOUR STAFF AS THEY RETURN TO WORK

By Human Capital Group

13th July 2020

“The difficult bit is starting up again and it’s hard to see how we’re going to go from a lockdown, to flat out in a short period of time”.

This was a concern one client expressed to us recently about unfurloughing his staff – and he hasn’t been the only one to express this sentiment.

Reintegrating staff, bringing people back into work and getting back to ‘normality’ are tangible concerns in many different industries at the moment, and housebuilding is no exception.

We turned to Paul Kinkaid from Selfless Leadership Ltd to discuss these issues and to get his insight into how to resolve them and move forward. Paul is the Ex-Head of Training and Development for the British Army. It may come as a surprise to some, but there are many synergies between the military and the current situation in housebuilding. There are lessons to be learnt from the military approach and tactics used that translate into practical advice for housebuilding leaders.

At the end of the day, the military has centuries of experience on how to effectively get troops out of hibernation, trained up and back into action as quickly and safely as possible.

We spoke to Paul previously about the ‘Commando Mindset’ and his advice and wisdom on the topic provided a fascinating discussion, so we decided to have him back for a second webinar.

You can watch the whole webinar here but below we have summarised Paul’s five top tips on how to effectively unfurlough staff and support them as they return to work.

1. Stay open-minded and patient

2020 has brought us new rules of engagement, new equipment to deal with, new environments and new boundaries within which housebuilders have got to operate. Leadership Teams who stay open-minded about these new factors are more likely to inspire their ‘troops’ to be the same.

Being patient with staff as they return to work and giving them time to re-acclimatise is essential, so they don’t feel overwhelmed.

Another key aspect here is to patiently support the reintegration of staff who were furloughed with those who weren’t. There may be feelings of resentment or guilt on both sides that need to be managed.

Honest and transparent two-way communication is also key here as staff need to know that it’s OK to ask questions about the new guidelines so there is no confusion or misunderstandings about new processes. These are unprecedented times after all.

2. Provide physical support

Some people have potentially been off work for many months. Therefore, it is realistic to think that jobs that previously would have taken two hours might now take much longer due to a fade in physical fitness or skills. This could be everything from construction and building skills to sales and office skills.

Leadership teams should be aware of this and need to put training plans in place while also ensuring that staff know it’s OK to request extra support.

3. Provide psychological support

As people return to work, it is highly likely that some of them are going to be remarkably anxious about it. They may have worries at home, concerns about the effectiveness of procedures or anxiety about their own ability to cope and their capability to do a good job.

Housebuilding leadership teams need to create a culture of care whereby staff are very aware of all the control measures in place and are given peace of mind. Daily or weekly briefings will help tremendously, as will encouraging staff to share their worries honestly and openly.

4. Empower people

It is unsurprising to learn that peer-to-peer prompts of new guidelines and policies are more effective than a top-down approach.

A way to harness this is to empower members of staff to feel like they can remind others of social distancing regulations, boundaries, constraints and freedoms. This can even be taken one step further by appointing special ‘marshals’.

Reminders need to be given in a non-judgemental and friendly manner, so feelings of guilt and resentment are avoided.

5. Prioritise quality over quantity

Leadership teams need to create realistic targets and ensure that they are maintaining the highest quality of output regardless of what the operating conditions are. The last thing that people want is for quality to take a hit in the desire to get things done quickly.

Accepting that previously created ‘game plans’ for 2020 have changed is the first step in this. It is likely that the more successful companies will be the ones are more relaxed about targets and end of year figures. Those who take their foot off the gas slightly, relieve pressures on their staff and stop hounding employees for answers are likely to get more done and in a much safer way.

Constantly beating the target drum doesn’t help and isn’t productive.

To hear more on the synergies between housebuilding and the military, plus the lessons on unfurloughing that can be learnt, watch the full webinar with Paul Kinkaid and Gerard Ball.